Former head coach Davis Payne is now an advance scout for the St. Louis Blues.
Jeff Vinnick/Getty ImagesLaura Stone Staff Reporter
It’s fair to say that Davis Payne is conflicted in his praise of the St. Louis Blues.
“I wouldn’t comment either way on cheering for them,†said the club’s former head coach, who now does advance scouting for the team, choosing his words carefully.
“I’d like to see the team do well.â€
The Blues continue their quest for the Stanley Cup â€" against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference semifinals starting Saturday(TSN, 7:30 p.m.) â€" with Ken Hitchcock behind the bench. Payne was fired in November, 13 games into the season with the Blues’ record at 6-7. Hitchcock went on to lead the Blues to a tie for second place overall.
“With the group we had, we knew there were great things we could accomplish,†said Payne, 41, who took over as head coach midway through the 2009-10 season. “I’m not surprised by it.â€
That’s perhaps what hurts the most. While Hitchcock “has done a fantastic job, he probably will be and should be coach of the year for it,†Payne says the team hasn’t fundamentally changed from when he was at the helm.
“I can’t have regrets about any decisions I made,†he said. “I made them with the full amount of information that was available to me, and they were my decisions to make.â€
He wants be an NHL coach again, and believes he’s up for the job.
“I wasn’t involved … at the level I want to be involved in (the rest of the season), which is as the coach,†he said.
“Great for them, but I sure wish I could have been the guy pushing it.â€
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